Rancho Bernardo High senior pole vaulters Ryan Zacchilli and Oliver Delgado made it look easy Saturday, as both glided over the state-qualifying 15-foot, 3-inch mark on their first tries at the CIF San Diego Section track and field finals at Mt. Carmel High.

Rancho Bernardo High's Ryan Zacchilli cleared 15-9 to capture the CIF San Diego Section title Saturday at Mt. Carmel High. Photo by Sherri Cortez

Zacchilli would eventually go on to be the only vaulter to clear 15-9 to claim the section title and Delgado would finish in second place with the personal-best 15-3 mark, as the one-two punch for Rancho Bernardo will have one more competition together before moving on to college.

“I am excited to go to state with Ryan; and having your teammate out there makes you a lot more comfortable,” said Delgado, who will be making his first trip to the state meet which starts Friday in Clovis. “A lot of the time it helps just to watch Ryan’s vaults. I can take pieces from his vault and fix mine.”

Poway High's Evan Gray, right, hands off the baton to Chris Tansey during the Titans' school-record, first-place finish time of 3:19.04 at the CIF San Diego Section finals Saturday at Mt. Carmel High. Photo by Sherri Cortez

Zacchilli, whose mark of 15-9 is tied for the top-qualifying mark in the state, shared the same sentiment. This will be his second year competing at the state meet. He finished 10^th in the preliminaries last year, missing out on making the finals by one spot. He hopes to get to the finals this year.

“My year goal is 16-6,” said Zacchilli, who has a personal-best of 16-feet right now.” Pretty much all I have to do on my vaults, is just commit. That moment when you are flipped upside down on that big pole, you just got to commit and let your body do the rest.”

Rancho Bernardo High girls pole vaulter Mimi Lian qualified for her third trip to the state meet at Saturday's CIF San Diego Section finals at Mt. Carmel High. Photo by Sherri Cortez

Rancho Bernardo girls pole vaulter Mimi Lian was one of two local girls to qualify for the state meet. Lian finished second overall (11-8) and Poway high jumper Tiffany Tate took third in the section with a mark of 5-3 to reach the state meet.

Poway senior Evan Gray led the Titans to within one point of shocking El Camino for the team title. The senior sprinter qualified in the 100-meter and 200. The Humboldt State-bound Gray is also part of the Titans’ state-qualifying 400-relay and 1,600-relay teams.

“It feels like I am ready for college,” said Gray, who has battled injuries throughout his whole senior year. “This has got to be the best feeling. I can’t imagine there is anything better than this.”

Gray posted personal-bests in the 100 (10.61-seconds wind aided) and 200 (21.45). He finished in second place behind El Camino’s Dylan McCloskey, who posted the states top qualifying time in the 100 (10.49) and second-best in the 200 (21.24). Gray had the third-best qualifying time in the 200.

Poway’s 400-relay team, an all-football player squad (Lance Mudd, Nehemiah Gross, Chris French and Gray) finished third in 42.51. The 1,600 team (Derek Babiash, Sam Ozenbaugh, Gray and Chris Tansey) won the section title in a school-record 3:19.04.

Eric Hayen and Tansey finished second and third, respectively, in the 1,600 to advance to the state meet. Hayen came in at 4:19.27, while Tansey was not far behind at 4:20.45.

Darren Fahy of La Costa Canyon, the state leader in the event, won the section title in 4:18.04.

Local qualifiers for Friday and Saturday’s CIF State Track and Field Championships at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Clovis: Boys 100 — Evan Gray (Poway); Boys 200 – Gray (Poway); Boys 1,600 — Eric Hayen (Poway), Chris Tansey (Poway); Boys 400 relay – Poway; Boys 1,600 relay – Poway; Boys pole vault: Ryan Zacchilli (RB), Oliver Delgado (RB); Girls pole vault: Mimi Lian (RB); Girls high jump: Tiffany Tate (Poway).

Rancho Bernardo High did all it could to capture the CIF San Diego Section Division II softball crown. The Broncos hit the ball hard, played great defense and pitched well.

Rancho Bernardo High's Sara White connected for a two-run home run in Saturday's CIF San Diego Section Division II championship game at UCSD. Photo by Beverley Brooks

But sometimes that’s not even enough.

Rancho Bernardo had plenty of scoring opportunities, but Bonita Vista always seemed to be in the right place at the right time, as the top-seeded Barons knocked off the Broncos 4-2 to capture the CIF SDS Division II title Saturday at UCSD.

Second-seeded Rancho Bernardo was within inches on several occasions of being the team celebrating in the pitcher’s circle at the end. But the Barons were positioned perfectly to catch a few hard-hit balls with runners in scoring position late in the game.

“We couldn’t catch a break,” Rancho Bernardo coach Summer Downs said. “We hit line drives right at people. One inch to the right or left and it is a base hit. We just fought really hard and I am super proud of the team.”

The Broncos (23-9-1) have plenty to be proud of after the season they put together. Rancho Bernardo started just one senior (catcher Leah Gordon) and finished in second place in the always-challenging Palomar League. It was the first section title game the Broncos have been in since winning it all in 2009.

“It is a big deal to get here,” Downs said. “I just kept telling them to enjoy the moment. It is fun just being here. I think we are champions just being here.”

With sophomore ace Sara White and another seven starters returning, Rancho Bernardo could very well be playing for the CIF SDS Division II crown again next year.

“I expect big things out of us in the next couple of years,” Downs said. “We definitely have the talent to get back here.”

Bonita Vista got a three-run home run from Alex Vargas to take a 3-2 lead in the fourth inning. The Barons tacked on an unearned run in the sixth inning, but it was really their defense in key situations that won them the game.

The Broncos’ Kelli Nagle was inches from an RBI single in the fourth, but Bonita Vista third baseman Anissa Pinedo made a diving stop. Megan Andrew nearly brought home a run in the fifth, but her lined shot was right at the right fielder. Nagle was also inches from an RBI single in the fifth inning, but Pinedo snagged her line drive.

“We got robbed a lot,” said the Broncos’ Tiana Miller, who had three singles. “It just didn’t go our way.”

White, who is committed to Notre Dame, threw all seven innings. She helped give herself an early lead by smacking her first home run of the season – a two-run shot down the left-field line in the bottom of the second inning — to put the Broncos in front 2-0.

White had an outstanding season for Rancho Bernardo in the circle. The right-hander tossed a no-hitter and a one-hitter in the first two games of the postseason. It is often hard to remember she is only a sophomore. Even after the loss in the title game, White was able to look at the bigger picture for the program.

“This is a really good experience and now we are going to be veterans next year,” she said. “Hopefully, we can come in and do better.”

The victory was the 10^th straight in the playoffs for the Broncos, moving them within a win of the CIF San Diego Section Division II title game. Top-seeded Rancho Bernardo will face the winner of Saturday’s Westview-Steele Canyon game Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.

Jackson, a sophomore, is ridiculously hot at the plate. The right-hander has hammered 17 home runs this season, including 10 in the last eight games. The Broncos are as hot as they have been all season, scoring a combined 20 runs in their two playoff wins.

Parker Bugg tossed a two-hitter and had six strikeouts to get the win.

The Rancho Bernardo High boys tennis team fell to Torrey Pines in the the CIF San Diego Section Division I team finals earlier this month.

But it was the Broncos’ turn to celebrate Friday in the all Falcons vs. Broncos CIF SDS individual and doubles title matches at the Barnes Tennis Center.

Rancho Bernardo senior Tyler Pham captured his second straight individual section championship, defeating the Falcons’ J.P. Boyd in straight sets 7-5, 6-0. And Chris Bernhardt and Aiku Shintani beat the Falcons’ Connor Eck and Adam Levie in straight sets, 7-5, 6-2, to claim the section doubles title for Rancho Bernardo.

It might not go down in the record book as a team win for the Broncos, but they certainly felt like it was some sort of a team victory against their Palomar League rival.

“I was thinking on the van ride over here that they cannot win everything,” said Bernhardt, a junior. “We had to get them at some point.”

“We played our best in the team finals and they beat us,” said Pham, who wrapped up his prep career with two team and two individual section championships. “They had a little deeper team than us. Here we showed we can still be on top.”

It was a real first-set battle between Pham and Boyd. The lead exchanged hands five times and there were a total of nine deuces. Pham broke Boyd’s serve three times in the set, the last one giving him a 6-5 lead. Pham then was able to hold serve to win 7-5, clearly frustrating Boyd.

“We had a really tough first set,” said Pham, who beat Boyd in a three-hour marathon in the semifinals of the Ojai tournament earlier this year. “I barely pulled through. But once I won the first few games of the second set, I was able to run away with it. But he is a tough opponent.”

The two will probably see plenty of each other on the tennis court at the next level, as Pham is headed to play at UC Irvine and Boyd will be playing at USD. But right now, Pham is enjoying his second straight section championship.

“It feels amazing,” he said. “I remember the first time I won and I thought it was great. This time felt twice as good.”

Bernhardt, a junior, and Shintani, a freshman, defeated Eck and Levie for the second time this season – the first coming in the Palomar League title match. The Broncos’ duo looked like it might cruise to the title, winning the first set 6-2. But then they fell behind 5-3 in the second set.

“It started getting in our heads a little bit that we are up against one of the best teams in the county,” Bernhardt explained. “I think that made us play tight and not just go for it like we did in the first set.”

The two were able to pull it together, though, breaking Torrey Pines’ serve to make it 5-4 and then rolling from there to a 7-5 victory.

“That break at 5-3 was a huge momentum changer,” Bernhardt said.

Shintani showed little nerve playing in the title match against a pair of seniors.

“I just felt like I can make my shots today,” he said. “I felt this was the time for me to go for it instead of being tight.”

The No. 5 Lancers advance to play the No. 1 Vista – No. 4 Torrey Pines loser Saturday at 11 a.m. Meanwhile, the Titans’ season comes to an end after a 1-2 performance in the postseason. The lone win for Poway was over Eastlake in the play-in game.

The Titans finish the season with an 18-14 overall record.

In the June 5 primary, four candidates are vying to represent the 49th Congressional District, which includes 4S Ranch.

• Richard “Dick” Eiden is running without party preference and a Vista resident. The 66-year-old has lived in the district for 23 years, and he and his wife of 33 years, Kathleen Cannon, have three adult children, one grandchild and two dogs. He earned his bachelor’s degree at UC Santa Barbara and juris doctorate at UCLA School of Law.

Richard "Dick" Eiden

He is a retired lawyer, activist and poet. He has never held political office. His website is www.Eiden4Congress.net.

“Like most of you, I am frustrated with the gridlock in the House of Representatives and I want to truly represent the will of the people,” Eiden said, adding he wants to amend the Constitution to keep corporations working as SuperPACs from contributing hundreds of millions of dollars to political campaigns so they can have influence. “We must get big money out of politics … As an independent I am not beholden to big money or either of our two-party corporate agendas.”

He listed the district’s three greatest issues as jobs, the economy and education.

“The first thing that I will work for is to bring our soldiers and the money spent overseas home,” Eiden said. “We have more than 700 bases overseas, and I plan to reapportion the money spent there first to take care of our returning soldiers, and then to create jobs in America by rebuilding our infrastructure, creating new jobs in the green economy and improving education. Every American should have access to the education that will allow them to work in the next generation of technologies and companies that will take our country into a sustainable future.”

Eiden said he supports a simplified tax code that closes loopholes favoring and rewarding multi-national corporations and billionaires. If elected Eiden said he would introduce a tax bill that encourages investment in startup businesses.

To lessen U.S. dependence on foreign oil, he said it will require an investment in transitional clean energy generating technology, something voters will have to demand of their representatives. “The only responsible solution is to recognize that our addiction to fossil fuels is a dead end,” he added.

Regarding the federal debt ceiling, Eiden said he opposes a “hard and fast debt ceiling” in case there is a natural disaster. “I will never support the privatization of Social Security. That is such a terrible idea.” He is “strongly in favor of a single payer health system, as much of the rest of (the) world now enjoys.” Eiden added the healthcare bill “is a step in the right direction … but it does not go far enough.”

As for the cost of government efforts to combat terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan, “It is with the greatest empathy for the soldiers and their families who have given so much, that I must say that the costs were too high and the benefits unclear. … I ask that we bring our troops home now.”

• Incumbent Rep. Darrell Issa is a Republican and Vista resident. The 58-year-old has lived in the district for 27 years, is married and has a son. He earned his bachelor’s degree at Siena Heights College.

Darrell Issa

He has represented the district in the House of Representatives since 2001, is the founder of Directed Electronics and served in the Army. His website is www.issaforcongress.com.

Issa said he wants to be re-elected because “I believe we should have a government that is accountable to its citizens and places Americans in a position to succeed. As (a businessman) … I have seen firsthand how government policies can stifle innovation and job creation. For years, jobs have been disappearing from California because of over-regulation and the over-bearing hand of government. Now, we’re seeing the same effect … (as jobs) are leaving our country. We must reverse that trend and focus on policies that foster job creation.”

He said the three greatest issues impacting the district are “jobs, jobs and jobs.”

To change these, Issa said, “change the mind-set of government so that it is not creating barriers to success. The regulatory tsunami unleashed by the current administration has caused job creators nationwide to lock down at a time when we need them to expand.”

He said the current tax system should be changed. “I support tax reform that produces a flatter and fairer tax code, eliminates loopholes and fosters prosperity and creation,” Issa said. “It’s time to refuel the American growth economy again.”

To lessen American dependence on foreign oil, Issa said he supports an “‘all-of-the-above’ energy approach where we vigorously develop our own domestic energy resources, while embracing viable new technologies that are cleaner and deliver better efficiency.”

Issa said Congress needs to “end the culture of government overspending and rapidly mounting national debt. … We have to break that dependence and limit government spending to the revenues we take in.” As for Social Security reform, he said the first step is recognizing “that if we do nothing, Social Security will go broke and everyone will lose.” Regarding a nationalized health care program, he called it “the wrong approach,” adding the current health bill needs to be repealed and consumers given better and more affordable healthcare choices, including making something similar to the Federal Employee Health Benefit Program available to all Americans.

Regarding the efforts to combat terrorism, Issa said, “we clearly had to bring the fight to al-Qaida after they attacked us, but nation building efforts in Afghanistan have not been successful. We should bring our troops home as they cannot resolve the failures that reside within the Karzai government.”

• Albin Novinec is running without party preference and is an Oceanside resident. The 54-year-old has lived in the district for a combined seven years spanning 1994 to present. He is the divorced father of three daughters and one son. Novinec earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice at Columbia College, master’s in management and HRM from National University, is working on a forensic science master’s degree at National University and a master’s in political science at APU.

Albin Novinec

He retired from the Marine Corps after 28 years in the military and is a Realtor. He has never held political office. His website is www.time2takebackamerica.com.

Novinec said he wants to be elected to Congress because “I know with my background and experience, I can make a big difference with starting this great nation back on the proper path for our citizens.”

He said the district’s three greatest issues are housing, employment and cost of living.

To bring change to these, Novinec said, “I have developed a 10-point plan to fix the housing market within one year. If we could implement this plan the market would turn and stabilize within that year.”

Regarding possible changes to the tax code, he said “we need to stop raising taxes and make the government change their spending habits. If the government cuts spending then we could lower taxes.”

To lessen U.S. dependence on foreign oil, Novinec said “we need to start using our own oil. We have enough oil in the U.S. to last 50 to 60 years. Why do we depend on OPEC?”

Novinec said the federal debt ceiling should be made of concrete, Congress should be made responsible for balancing the debt and the Senate responsible for passing a budget. As for changes to Social Security, he said the $2.5 trillion the government borrowed from the system must be returned with interest. He also wants national health care power removed from the federal government and given to states. “Let the voters in the states decide what and if they want any kind of state health care,” he said.

As for the war on terrorism, Novinec, who completed three tours in Iraq, said it was “not at all” worth the cost. “We accomplished nothing. We wasted a trillion dollars and numerous lives during this war.”

• Jerry Tetalman is a Democrat and Carlsbad resident. The 57-year-old has lived in the district for 24 years, and he and wife, Kathy, have a daughter. Tetalman earned his bachelor’s degree in nursing at Ohio State University and master’s in psychology from the University for Humanistic Studies.

Jerry Tetalman

He is a registered nurse and Realtor. He has never held political office. His website is www.jerryforcongress2012.com.

Tetalman said he wants to serve in Congress “to support America’s middle class through job creation and economic growth.”

He listed the district’s three greatest issues as job creation and economic growth, environmental protections and sustainable energy policies, and health care as a human right that includes protecting women’s reproductive rights and freedom to make health care decisions without government interference.

Tetalman said he would bring change to these issues “by building consensus among Democrats, Republicans and Independents in Congress.”

He said the Bush era tax cuts should be allowed to expire and Obama’s income tax equity plan implemented so the wealthy pay their fair share.

To lessen U.S. dependence on foreign oil, Tetalman said, “support the development and use of alternative and sustainable energy resources such as wind, solar and geothermal.”

As for the federal debt ceiling, he said the U.S. should do what is economically prudent and not engage in gridlock politics such as it did last year. Regarding changes to Social Security, Tetalman said that along with Medicare it should be protected and not privatized. “I support a single payer health care system as the only effective way to cut administrative and provider costs and ensure coverage for all Americans,” he said.

Regarding the cost to combat terrorism, he said “terrorism should be attacked through military and security intelligence and individual action rather than by declaring war with its terrible toll of human lives and staggering economic costs.”

Click on the race to read more about its issues or candidates.

LOCAL

Propositions — all City of San Diego neighborhoods

San Diego mayor — all City of San Diego neighborhoods

San Diego County Supervisor: District 2 — includes Poway

San Diego County Supervisor: District 3 — includes Rancho Bernardo, 4S Ranch, Carmel Mountain Ranch, Sabre Springs and Rancho Penasquitos

STATE

State Assembly: 77th District — includes Poway, Rancho Bernardo, 4S Ranch, Carmel Mountain Ranch, Sabre Springs and Rancho Penasquitos

State Senate: 39th District — includes Rancho Bernardo and Rancho Penasquitos

FEDERAL

Congress: 49th District — includes 4S Ranch

Congress: 52nd District — includes Rancho Bernardo, Poway, Carmel Mountain Ranch, Sabre Springs and Rancho Penasquitos

A trip to the CIF State Track and Field Championships will be on the line for several local athletes Saturday starting at 9 a.m. at Mt. Carmel High School in the CIF San Diego Section finals.

Rancho Bernardo High pole vaulter Ryan Zacchilli hopes to get back to the state meet. Photo by Beverley Brooks

The top three finishers in each event will automatically qualify for the state prelims on June 1 in Clovis. The state finals will be held the next day.

A few are looking to get back to the state meet for a second time, but there are several athletes looking to qualify for the first time. Rancho Bernardo High’s Kevin Mihalik is one of those athletes.

The senior qualified with the top time in the 1,600-meter (4 minutes, 17.72 seconds) and with the fifth-best time in the 800 (1:56.83) at the CIF SDS prelims last week. Mihalik is one of four local athletes competing in two individual events Saturday.

Poway senior Evan Gray will run the 100 and 200 as will teammate Cecily Gilson for the girls. The Titans’ Chris Tansey qualified with the eighth-best time in the 800 (1:57.17) and sixth-best in the 1,600 (4:19.60).

Gray, who is headed to Humboldt State for football and track, is hoping to qualify for his second straight trip to the state meet. Last year, she speedster qualified in both the 100 and 200. He didn’t make the finals in either event at the state meet. Gilson had the fourth-best qualifying time in the 100 and sixth best in the 200.

Also looking to make a return trip to the state meet are Rancho Bernardo pole vaulters Mimi Lian and Ryan Zacchilli. Lian, a junior, posted the second-best qualifying mark at 12-feet, 8 inches last week. Zacchilli, a senior, tied for the second-best qualifying mark at 15-3. He cleared a personal-best 16-feet earlier this season, which ranks third in the section.

Other athletes with a strong chance to reach state, include Poway discus thrower Charlie Long. The senior had the fourth-best qualifying mark (148-08) last week. The Titans’ boys 4×400 and 4×100 relay teams enter the finals with the third-best qualifying time in each event. Poway girls high jumper Tiffany Tate and Del Norte triple jumper Caitlin Cole should also challenge for a spot to the state meet.

(CNS) – A three-vehicle pileup on a drizzle-dampened stretch of State Route 67 near Poway killed four people Friday and injured three others, including a preschooler, authorities said.

The collision in unincorporated Rosemont area happened about 10 a.m., when a northbound Chevrolet Silverado pickup veered into an oncoming lane near Rockhouse Road at high speed and smashed into two southbound Toyota sedans, a Camry and a Corolla, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Killed in the crash were the 20-year-old Poway resident, Alexander Antonio Sebastiano, behind the wheel of the pickup; his passenger, a 34-year-old San Diego man; the 78-year-old driver of the Camry; and that man’s 74-year-old female passenger, Josefina De Dios West, no city of residence given. The latter two were thought to be a married couple.

The names of the remaining two who died are being withheld pending notification of family.

A woman who was riding in a back seat of the Silverado was taken to a trauma center with internal injuries, CHP public affairs Officer Brian Pennings said. Her condition was not released.

Medics took the 24-year-old driver of the Corolla, a Ramona resident, and her 5-year-old female passenger to hospitals for treatment of injuries that were not considered life-threatening, Pennings said.

The violent crash forced a several-hour closure of the route between Poway and Archie Moore roads. In the early afternoon, authorities began allowing traffic through the area over one lane.

The road fully reopened about 4:30 p.m., according to the CHP.

It was unclear why the driver of the pickup lost control, though witnesses said he was speeding, according to Pennings. Additionally, the roadway was moist at the time due to misty weather, Pennings said.

Emergency workers at the site of a fatal three-vehicle crash Friday morning on Highway 67. Photo by Karen Brainard/Ramona Sentinel

It took back-to-back games and nearly five hours at the Poway Sportsplex, but the Rancho Bernardo High softball team earned a spot in its first CIF San Diego Section championship game since winning it all in 2009.

The second-seeded Broncos shook off a 5-1 loss to No. 1 Bonita Vista Thursday with an 11-3 come-from-behind win over San Marcos in the elimination round to advance to the CIF SDS Division II title game.

The Broncos will get a rematch with Bonita Vista in the winner-take-all championship game Saturday at 4:30 p.m. at UCSD. Bonita Vista lost in the Division II title game to West Hills last year.

Rancho Bernardo sophomore Sara White hung tough through seven innings, working her way out of several jams to pick up the win. San Marcos put up three runs in the second inning to take a quick 3-0 lead, but the Broncos refused to stay down in this one.

Rancho Bernardo rallied for four runs with two outs in the third inning to take the lead for good, 4-3. Danielle Knoetze’s and Kelli Nagle’s back-to-back, two-run singles highlighted the inning.

White, who tossed four-plus innings in the first game of the day against Bonita Vista, found herself in trouble often but found a way to bear down when she needed to. She worked her way out of jams in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings.

In the fourth inning, White posted two straight strikeouts to strand a Knights runner at third base. In the sixth inning, San Marcos loaded the bases with one out, but White again recorded two straight strikeouts to end the threat.

The Broncos extended their lead to 5-3 in the fourth inning when Skylee James singled in a run with two outs. Tori McIntyre’s RBI single in the sixth inning made it 6-3, giving Rancho Bernardo even more breathing room. The Broncos broke the game open with a five-run seventh inning.